1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of sanitary control of polystyrene ball filled play pits for infants and young children. More specifically the invention provides for pneumatically powered collection of polystyrene balls from the pit to a containment hopper employing gravity feed to a washing system which incorporates integrated frictional transport of the balls to a gravity feed sterilization and collection system followed by pneumatically powered return to the play pit.
2. Prior Art
Large rooms or flexible pits containing numerous lightweight polystyrene or polyurethane balls are now being used for amusement in many restaurants, parks, and other children's play areas. These pits are typically large enough to allow a child to become fully immersed in the lightweight balls without danger of suffocation and allows the child to burrow, tunnel, jump and otherwise play in the balls contained in the pit. As a result of the intimate contact between the balls and the children playing in the pits, the balls often become soiled with perspiration, salvia, dirt and/or foods carried by the children. Continuous use of the pits can create an unsanitary condition which renders the pits undesirable for use. Cleaning of the balls in the present play pits typically requires shoveling of the balls into secondary containers for transport to an alternative site for washing in standard clothes washing machines or by hand. Alternatively the balls are periodically replaced with new balls and discarded to avoid the necessity for cleaning. The present methods for cleaning the balls are inefficient, time consuming, and labor intensive resulting in significant cost to the operators of the play pits. Complete replacement of the balls on a periodic basis is similarly expensive and inefficient.
It is therefore desirable to provide a means for removing the lightweight balls from the pit, cleaning and sterilizing the balls and returning them to the pit in a semiautomated fashion to reduce the cost of operating such play pits and eliminating concerns regarding sanitation.